Optical

and mechanical control of electron transport through a single molecule

Advances in molecular manipulation enable to statistically measure the conductance of a
single molecule while controlling its geometrical conformation either by mechanical or
optical means. The possibility to control the conductance of a single molecule by
external stimulus is not only important for the fundamental understanding of their
charge transport properties but also for the development of emerging technologies such
as molecular electronic. This project aims at theoretically modeling the mechanism of
charge propagation in single molecule in order to establish a clear correlation between
the conformation of this molecule and its electronic conductance.

During the course of the project, a combination of classical techniques and quantum
chemical calculations will be used to model and understand charge transport
mechanisms at the single molecule level. A celebrated example of non-classical effect
arising in single molecule junction is the quantum interference effect that prevents the
charge to cross the junction due to coherent phase cancellation between different
conduction channels. This interference effect can be controlled by mechanical or optical
manipulations of the molecular conformation to design single-molecule electronic
devices.


If you are interested, please contact: n.renaud@tudelft.nl

Fig 1: Example of optically activated single molecule electronic device connected to two gold
electrodes. Optical signals are used to control the isomerization state of several photochromic
groups that in return modify the overall electronic conduction of the molecule.